NBA Finals

Winning & Musing…Volume 3.25

And now we enter dark days. Hot. Sunny. Yet a barren wasteland of sports. Basketball is over. Baseball isn’t interesting yet. Football is several weeks away. Thankfully I have a renewed albeit tepid regard for NASCAR, will watch an occasional open wheel auto race, and find golf sporadically entertaining. Of course, I suppose the whole point of summertime is to go outdoors and DO things rather than sit inside to watch things. If only I was that exciting 🤔.

Let’s be honest…the Oklahoma City Thunder were clearly the better team from the beginning. They were the best team in the NBA all season, while no one expected much in the playoffs from the Indiana Pacers. The Cavs, Celtics, and Knicks were all thought to pose more of a threat to the Thunder. Nevertheless, Indiana took the NBA Finals to a decisive seventh game and must be given kudos. What might’ve happened if Pacers’ star Tyrese Haliburton didn’t get injured early in Game 7?? Who knows?? But the instant he went down the battle was over. Congrats to OKC. If you predicted now that these two teams would have an opportunity to run it back next year, I’d be just fine with that, although Haliburton might not be available until 2026-27.

Since we last met in this space enigmatic quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a one year contract with my Pittsburgh Steelers, and I am okay with that. I couldn’t possibly care less about any off-the-field perceptions of Rodgers, as long as he shows up, plays hard, and executes the offense to the best of his ability. All indications seem to point to that happening, although obviously we haven’t even made it to training camp yet. Rodgers is 41 years old and clearly past his prime, but he’s still probably better than any other option the Steelers have had at their disposal the past few seasons. I know Jets fans are excited about Justin Fields, and many Steelers fans weren’t happy the team made no effort to retain him, but I remain dismissive of Fields’ potential as an NFL QB. The Steelers also brought back Mason Rudolph, who can be a decent backup. One of three things will happen: a) Rodgers will be a total bust & Pittsburgh will draft a highly rated QB next spring, b) Rodgers will shock the world and lead Pittsburgh deep into the playoffs, or c) the Steelers will be 9-8 again and need to do some wheelin’ & dealin’ to get their quarterback in the draft. I don’t know which scenario is more likely, but I am at peace with whatever happens. 

Things that don’t interest me at all:

  • The WNBA
  • The College World Series
  • Spring football leagues of any kind
  • Soccer (obviously)
  • UFC

I suppose congratulations are also in order for the Florida Panthers, winners of back-to-back Stanley Cups. Do you realize that, in the past three decades, The Cup has resided in hot spots like Tampa, Vegas, Anaheim, Carolina, and Dallas, while a team from Canada hasn’t won the championship since 1993?? 

A month ago ESPN ended Around the Horn after more than two decades, but I have yet to run across a satisfactory reason for its cancellation. Full disclosure: I stepped back from watching any of the ESPN debate shows on a regular basis a few years ago. The Worldwide Leader’s penchant for allowing (perhaps even encouraging) their on-air talent to go on sanctimonious sociopolitical tirades became tedious, and the entire premise of ATH was gathering “journalists” from across the country to opine on various topics. I was taught a long time ago that typical sportswriters tend to have the same worldview as most other “journalists”, but we usually don’t notice as long as they remain focused on sports. Having said that, at its best, when the panelists stayed in their lane, Around the Horn seemed to exemplify the entire reason (outside of actual games) that outlets like ESPN even exist. Therefore, I don’t really understand its demise. From what I’ve been able to gather production costs were inexpensive and ratings were solid. Was ATH too low key & prosaic for the powers-that-be in Bristol?? Are they under the mistaken impression that the audience desires more…high-spirited…voices be added to a roster that already includes Stephen A. Smith & Pat McAfee?? Eight years ago ESPN cancelled its most erudite program The Sports Reporters, which I’ve always assumed was an indication of the low opinion the network has of its viewers’ intelligence, attention span, and critical thinking skills. Cancelling Around the Horn seems to reinforce that belief.

WINNING & MUSING…VOLUME 2.23

In the last installment of W&M I mentioned my lack of productivity in this space the last couple of years. Not much has changed the past few months, though it has become clear that the issue is far bigger than anything I want to address here, mostly because I’m not sure I really understand it. Having said that, a few things have been percolating in my noggin, so I’ve decided to take advantage of this window of inspiration, however small it may be. One thing I can always rely on is the fact that the seasons may change, but the sports calendar always provides something to talk about.

The NBA & its television partners were undoubtedly salivating at the thought of another epic Celtics-Lakers championship series, but they did not get their wish. Instead, we were treated to an all too brief Heat-Nuggets NBA Finals, which was atleast fresh if not particularly compelling. Congratulations to the Denver Nuggets for winning their first NBA Championship in 5+ decades of existence. Center Nikola Jokic proved that he deserved to win his third straight League MVP, and that it was absolutely stolen from him for obvious sociopolitical reasons.

Sticking with basketball, I think enough time has passed that I can offer a reasonably objective reaction to the Bob Huggins controversy you might’ve heard about several weeks ago. I’m not going to rehash the specifics. If you need a refresher The Internet is a wonderful thing. Anyway, as a WV Mountaineer fan I’m not going to defend Coach Huggins. He was wrong. A public figure in 2023 has to be smarter & more aware. Do I think Huggins is a terrible person?? No, I do not. He found himself in a situation where, instead of acting like a basketball coach on a radio show he relaxed a bit too much and acted like a dude hangin’ with his bros while knocking back a few cold ones. The man is 69 years old, and the societal norms he grew up with were far different than what someone a few decades younger has known. Is that an excuse?? I don’t think so…it’s just a fact of life. That doesn’t mean he gets a pass, but on the other end of the spectrum I was a bit taken aback by folks who opined that he should immediately lose his job. The punishment handed down by WVU feels somewhere between appropriate and an over correction, but in general it seems fair. Losing a million dollars is harsh by any measure, but I’m sure Huggins’ comfortable lifestyle won’t be negatively affected too much. To anyone whose feelings were legitimately hurt by his remarks I get it and won’t be too critical of you, but I would also caution that living life as a perpetual victim isn’t the way to go. Rise above. Live your life. Agree to disagree. You’ll be better off in the long run. To those who his remarks didn’t pertain to but still felt the need to publicly virtue signal because you think being offended by everything is cool, all I can say is grow up & get a life.

At the same time that the NBA Finals were happening the NHL Finals were taking place. Y’all know how I feel about hockey though, and the Pittsburgh Penguins subpar season means I paid zero attention to those playoffs. That being said, you might also be familiar with my longstanding Las Vegas fetish, so congratulations to the Vegas Golden Knights, who hoisted the Stanley Cup just six short years after being an expansion team.

My God the Triple Crown races were tedious this year!! I’m not familiar with the ins & outs of particular horse racing rules, but it’d be much more interesting if the number of horses in the field were mostly equal in each race, and if the best horses actually ran all three races. Instead, we had 18 horses in the Kentucky Derby, 7 in the Preakness Stakes (only one had run in..and won…the Derby), and 9 in the Belmont Stakes. For the first time in awhile I didn’t put money on any of the races because there were no cool names or captivating stories that grabbed my attention. Hopefully next year will be more fun.

I watched most of the Indianapolis 500, but per the normal course of events missed the conclusion because of family visiting from out of town. Then the Coca-Cola 600 was rain delayed until Memorial Day and I completely forgot about it. Even the most mundane banalities in my quiet little life haven’t seemed to go my way these past few years.

Speaking of basketball…

Since the last time we met here the Connecticut Huskies won the NCAA Championship, defeating the San Diego St. Aztecs in a snoozefest that was over in the first half. Monday night is Wrasslin’ Night in my humble abode, and I only flipped over to the ball game a couple of times very briefly.

Hey, it’s mid-June and my Pittsburgh Pirates are hovering around .500 and battling for first place in a mediocre (at best) division. That’s good…I guess. To be quite honest I haven’t watched much baseball because nearly three decades of ineptitude from one’s favorite team can scar a person, but I’m glad they’re doing alright and will likely pay more attention thru the summer.

Winning & Musing…Volume 3.18

October is often thought of as the best time of the annual sports calendar because the NFL, NBA, World Series, hockey, & college football are all available to us. However, late spring & early summer…with the NBA & NHL playoffs, a little golf, the Indy 500 & Coca-Cola 600 both on Memorial Day weekend, & baseball all happening…ain’t too shabby. Let’s discuss.

 

 

 

 

At the beginning of the NBA playoffs my only wish was that two of three teams not advance to The Finals. Things got off to a good start when the aging San Antonio Spurs were eliminated in the first round. Heading into the Memorial Day Weekend it seemed plausible that my hopes would be fulfilled and we’d get a fresh & interesting championship matchup. Sadly that dream died in two Game 7s, and now…for the fourth year in a row…we’re stuck with Golden State vs. Cleveland. I realize that many basketball fans are excited about this, but I am not your average NBA fan. For a variety of reasons I will not be watching one single second of the series. Maybe next season Philly, Boston, New Orleans, Houston, & Minnesota will figure some things out and break up the monotony.

 

 

I am surprisingly ambivalent about the NFL’s new anthem policy. I once called kneeling during the national anthem a “meaningless exhibition of symbolic rage” and stand by that opinion, but I also opined that it is within players’ Constitutional rights to do so. It isn’t something I would do, the original intent of the protest is foolish, & its stated purpose had been hijacked into a political game of chicken…but as disrespectful as I believe kneeling is I’m not sure the NFL has handled the situation all that well. They did nothing at the height of the controversy last season, and it felt like the whole circus had sort of diminished much like a hurricane eventually loses steam…until the NFL stirred things up again for no reason. Young parents are often taught the Ferber Method in which a crying infant is to be left alone and eventually they’ll quiet down. In the same way, I think if fans & the media would stop paying attention to anthem protests the players would get bored with it and move on…and even if they didn’t stop atleast they & their “cause” wouldn’t be receiving any validation. Unfortunately the NFL decided to poke the whiny, spoiled, & sanctimonious bear.

 

 

Y’all know that I’m a really lukewarm hockey fan, and whatever interest I did have in the NHL playoffs pretty much disappeared when the two time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated. That being said, I am rooting for Vegas to bring home The Cup in its inaugural season. Former Penguins’ goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury now plays for the Golden Knights, and I also think it’d be fun to see an expansion team win because it would tick off hockey “purists”. There’s also my longstanding love of Las Vegas, a city I hope to visit someday. I’m not actually going to watch any of the games, but for what it’s worth…Go Vegas!!

 

 

How insane is it that we went 37 years between the last two Triple Crown winners, but now we could see another one just three years later?? Of course it must be noted that between Affirmed’s achievement in 1978 and the 2015 trifecta of American Pharoah there were 13 horses that won the Kentucky Derby & Preakness Stakes only to fall short in the Belmont Stakes, so it’d be premature to assume that Justify will wear the proverbial crown. Not only is Belmont the longest of the three races (the Derby is 1.25 miles, the Preakness is 1& 3/16 miles, & the Belmont is 1.5 miles), but there are always fresh horses entered that didn’t run in the previous two races. As a matter of fact, it is fairly common for only a few horses to run all three Triple Crown races, with several in the Belmont field having skipped either the Derby, the Preakness, or both. For this reason the “smart money” might lean toward one of those horses instead of Justify.

 

 

Perhaps I am missing something, but I don’t understand all the hype and/or consternation about The Supreme Court’s recent decision against the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. That 1992 law “barred state-authorized sports gambling with some exceptions”, making Nevada the only state where it was legal to wager on games, but now all bets are off (pun intended) and it’s a free-for-all gambling frenzy. But wait!! Haven’t we had The Internet for the past quarter century?? I’m not a big gambler, but I have bet on the Triple Crown horse races online for several years, and could have bet on just about anything else if I’d chosen to do so…so what’s the big deal?? Are casinos suddenly going to pop up everywhere now?? I suppose that’s possible. Will all of those little “gambling cafes” that litter the landscape of my small hometown now offer sports betting in addition to slot machines?? That would actually make such establishments somewhat more interesting. I’m not completely obtuse here folks…I get it. But let’s not pretend that this new legality suddenly allows people to engage in some sort of forbidden activity that they’ve been dying to try but have been prohibited from doing. The truth is that gambling has been a huge business for decades, and not just in Vegas or Atlantic City. The Supreme Court has just brought it out of the shadows…probably so the government can get a piece of the action.

Winning & Musing…..Volume 3.16

Greetings sports fans. What’s up?? I hope everyone is enjoying the early delights of summer and that those pesky cicadas aren’t annoying you too much. Just think…once we get thru the next few weeks we won’t have to hear that awful noise until 2033. By that time I’ll be 60 years old!! Okay…I just freaked myself out a little. Let’s talk about sports.

 

 

 

 

 

hockeyGuess what y’all…I’ve actually been watching hockey!! No one is more surprised than me. As of this writing my Pittsburgh Penguins are up 2-1 over the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Finals. Two of the games have gone into overtime. I was really hoping the Pens would go up 3-0 which would essentially mean it’s over, but now I am leaning toward my original assessment, which is that this thing could go the full seven games. It’s a shame that the championship series of a major professional sport is being shown mostly on a marginal channel like the NBC Sports Network, which is in 12 million less homes than ESPN, 10 million less than Fox Sports 1, & a whopping 30 million less than NBC itself which is where the games would be broadcast if it were football, baseball, or basketball. There are multiple things that could possibly be blamed for hockey’s lack of popularity in America, but that’s a broader topic than I want to address at the moment. For now let’s just say that I am hooked and will be watching this series. Go Pens!!

 

 

So I guess we have a Summer Olympics coming up?? They are scheduled to get underway in Rio (that’s in Brazil for those that slept thru geography class) in early Rio2016August. Numerous medical professionals have opined that the event should be postponed or relocated because of the Zika virus, which is apparently a rather big issue in South America, but we all know that there is way too much money involved for that. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. As for the games themselves, I am really only interested in basketball. The United States hasn’t announced their 12 man roster yet, but it is anticipated to include guys like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, & Lebron James. Nothing less than another gold medal will be acceptable.

 

 

CCI’m not quite sure what to say about the death of Cassius Clay. He is practically being deified by the sports talking heads and the general drive-by media. Boxing has never really been in my wheelhouse and the fabled career of “The Greatest” was stumbling to a pitiable close by the time I even became conscious of his existence. Inside the ring he was an impressive 56-5 over a couple of decades, won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics, and captured professional boxing’s heavyweight title three times. Outside the ring he was doing pro wrestling style promos years before pro wrestling gained pop culture relevance in the 1980s. Cassius Clay might have been successful had he simply been a great boxer, but being a charismatic entertainer is what elevated his status to legendary. The most controversial aspect of his life began in the early 60’s when he became an adherent of Malcolm X and converted to Islam, which led to him “conscientiously objecting” to the Vietnam War and refusing to serve in the armed forces. I sincerely believe in freedom of religion, but my faith tells me that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, & the Life and that no man shall come to the Father except through Him. It also annoys me greatly that when a Muslim uses their faith as an excuse to protest something they are applauded for it, but Christians are not afforded the same respect. I don’t hate Cassius Clay. I feel bad for him. I do not believe that Islam is a “religion of peace”. History…especially in recent years…reveals that idea to be absurd. Yet I don’t believe that all Muslims are bad people. Cassius Clay chose to follow Malcolm X and elected to “dodge” the draft. He paid a price for it, losing three prime years of his career. Later on he gained the sympathy of the masses while fighting a courageous & debilitating battle against Parkinson’s Disease, an awful condition no one should have to endure, and became a kind of goodwill ambassador, even traveling to Iraq & Afghanistan to negotiate the release of American hostages. What’s done is done and Cassius Clay is gone now. I don’t revile him for his choice of religion or anti-American rhetoric in regards to Vietnam, but neither will I participate in hoisting him up on a big ol’ heroic pedestal. My prayers are with his family & friends.

 

 

The NBA Finals are underway as well. As many people expected it’s all come down to the defending champion Golden State Warriors vs. Lebron James and his NBA-FInals-2Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors are up 1-0 at the moment and looked pretty dominant in that first game, but I am hoping this series goes 6 or 7 games too. It would be a huge letdown to everyone outside of Oakland, CA if it is a brief & one-sided sweep.

 

 

espnWhat in the world is going on at The Mothership in Bristol?? Not only are they losing noted blowhard Skip Bayless to Fox Sports 1, but now Mike Tirico is jumping ship & heading to NBC, while ESPN original Chris Berman is reportedly being phased out after his contract expires at the end of the year. I really couldn’t care less what happens with Bayless. He joins fellow windbag Colin Cowherd at FS1, taking that network from its current status of “irrelevant” to “avoid like The Plague”. Hey FS1…if the goal is to increase ratings you’re doing it wrong. Conversely, Tirico seems like a decent dude and he’s great at what he does. I am assuming that his presence will make it easier for NBC to gently push 71 year old Al Michaels into retirement without Sunday Night Football missing a beat. Sean McDonough, a decent enough play-by-play man, is now going to be doing play-by-play on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, but that show is doomed as long as Jon Gruden…the guy who once said that “any team that passes on Johnny Manziel will regret it”…is doing color commentary. He makes John Madden & Charles Barkley look like Woodward & Bernstein. It may seem like Berman is ancient because he’s been there since ESPN’s launch, but he’s only 61 years old. His shtick has worn a little thin with some, but it feels a bit premature to put him out to pasture. Of course Berman’s eventual departure is only part of ESPN’s makeover of its NFL coverage, as they’ve already ousted Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Ray Lewis, & Keyshawn Johnson in favor of new faces Randy Moss, Matt Hasselbeck, & Charles Woodson. Those feel like positive, much needed changes.

Winning & Musing…..Volume 5.13

Today we go off the beaten path just a bit, with golf, the NBA, and a marathon. And I honestly wish I was addressing the sports aspect of the latter, but as you can probably guess that’s not the case.

 

 

 

The whole Tiger Woods controversy at The Masters was fascinating. First of all, I have no issue with him being assessed a two shot penalty versus being outright disqualified. New rules were put in place a few years ago for these exact kinds of circumstances. I’m not sure who is more obnoxious…golf purists or baseball purists. Anyone who was calling for Tiger Woods to DQ himself is an idiot. Secondly, tigerI’m not sure why a rules official wasn’t on hand to direct the situation on the course. Part of the blame there has to go to Tiger himself, as he should have ask for guidance rather than being cocky and assuming he knew the proper protocol. I have an issue as well with the fact that officials did review the incident while Tiger was still on the course and said everything was kosher only to reverse themselves after he’d signed his scorecard and left the premises. That is squarely on them…not him. And let’s talk about why they reversed their initial decision. The reversal was based on two things: a interview in which Woods inadvertently & unknowingly “told on himself” after the round, and a phone call in which a television viewer ratted Tiger out. In the future anyone in serious contention at The Masters or any other golf tournament should absolutely refuse all interviews based on what happened here lest they say something to incriminate themselves. And how exactly does one simply pick up the phone and call the Augusta National Golf Club in the midst of the sport’s premier event?? Is the number in the yellow pages?? I think some regrettable precedents were set at the 2013 Masters that may someday come back to haunt the PGA.

 

 

nbaOkay NBA…now is your time to shine. Citizens of the Manoverse know that I don’t pay close attention to pro basketball until the playoffs begin, and that occurs this weekend. In the east the matchups look like this:

 

           

            1 Miami Heat           vs.       8 Milwaukee Bucks

            2 New York Knicks vs.       7 Boston Celtics

            3 Indiana Pacers     vs.       6 Atlanta Hawks

            4 Brooklyn Nets      vs.       5 Chicago Bulls

There’s no way Milwaukee beats Miami. I’ll be surprised if that series isn’t an easy sweep for the Heat. I’d like to think Boston can give the Knicks a good run but I think they’re just too old. I don’t think Indiana will have much of a problem beating Atlanta. The 4/5 series might stand a good chance of going seven games, but even if Derrick Rose doesn’t return to the court I think the Bulls will win. Ultimately I think it’ll come down to a Heat-Pacers conference finals, with Miami winning in 5 games.

 

The west looks like this:

 

            1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs.     8 Houston Rockets

            2 San Antonio Spurs          vs.       7 Los Angeles Lakers

            3 Denver Nuggets            vs.       6 Golden State Warriors

            4 Los Angeles Clippers      vs.       5 Memphis Grizzlies

The west feels like it’ll be infinitely more entertaining & unpredictable than the east. I could see all of these series going 6 or 7 games. The Lakers seem to be a popular pick to pull an upset, but that ain’t happening without Kobe Bryant and he’s out with an injury. At the end of the day I gotta go straight chalk in the first round. I think it all boils down to a Spurs-Clippers conference finals, with San Antonio pulling it out in 7 games.

That means an NBA Finals pitting the Miami Heat vs. the San Antonio Spurs, and as much as I would love to see Tim Duncan ride off into the sunset with another ring after defeating the despicable Heat I just can’t go there. It looks like another ring for that assclown Lebron James and his posse. My apologies to the fine citizens of Cleveland, OH.

 

 

To call the bombing at the annual Boston Marathon regrettable would be a huge understatement. As a lifelong sports fanatic I find it appalling when any such event is marred by tragedy. Sports are supposed to be an escape. They are supposed to be fun. Sure there is a lot of money on the line for everyone involved in any sport (especially the professional leagues for the big three…football, baseball, & basketball), and certainly there are fans who take things a Boston-Marathon-bombing-screenshotbit too seriously and are far more emotionally invested than might be healthy, but at the end of the day I think most people understand the difference between whatever the sports story du jour may be and “real” life. When that line is blurred, as it has been with this bombing in Boston, I as a fan feel violated on multiple levels. We don’t yet know if this act of terror was perpetrated by a group like Al Qaeda or a lone individual with some serious psychological issues, and it has yet to be determined if it was done as a political or religious statement or simply because the person(s) were angry about a less significant yet more personal issue, but I am sure the wheels of justice will eventually provide answers. However, after all is said & done the damage is irreversible. Three people (including a small child) are dead. Nearly 200 people were injured, some catastrophically so. Their lives will never be the same. The Boston Marathon will never be the same. And we seem to have segued into an age in 21st century New America where we can no longer gather in large groups and enjoy something as innocent & pleasurable as a sporting event without having to take precautions, consider possible consequences, and ponder potentially negative outcomes that we never would have fathomed just a decade or two ago, which is a damn shame.

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